New owner

[David Bennetts]

Hi

I'm just about to buy my first Cobra and am looking at a Sumo Mk2 3litre V6 ford engine, the question is "is this a good car to start with"

Thanks
David

[kdavies3]

Hi David and welcome to the mad house.

If it puts a grin across your face then I guess any Cobra is the right one.

My only comment is that a V6 is not going to sound like a V8 obviously and I suspect it won't be long before you start thinking of upgrades to a V8.

I would suggest starting out with a car that already has a V8 maybe a Rover, it will be easier to upgrade than a V6 and I imagine less costly as you'll already have the right type of exhaust 4 pots per side.

Again it all depends on your budget and what you intend to use the car for.

[MetaJacko]

Hi,

When you say 'To Start With' It depends on how long you plan to stick
with your 'To Start With' car.

What do you currently drive?

If its a 1600 then 3lt V6 will seem great but if you are driving a BMW 2.5 24v etc
you may not notice enough of an improvement.

I started with a Sumo Mk 2 with a Rover V8 3.5 and found it wasn't enough up from what I'd had before. But then that had been another kit car with a hotted up 2 ltr that could do 140+ so it all depends.

Paul

PS Have fun whatever you get!

[r0lex]

Hi David
I have a sumo mk2 and i have found there is a couple of things that you need to check as i found out about mine the hard way. The camber on the front wheels has been a major problem for me untill i bought adjustable wishbones, cost £500.
the tyres i had on were cooper cobra and there was more grip on a condom, the person that built this car must have done it in his dinner time. as it has cost me a small fortune to get it the way i want it.
All i want to say realy is, try to make sure it has been put together correctly, and see if the front wishbones are adjustable, or it will start to float over 70mph.

Having said that i now love mine

It is no use having all the power in the world if you cannot put it down on the tarmac.

good luck
Paul

[TINKA]

I agree with everything above nothing wrong with a Sumo at all as a starter but as mentioned do your homework in case there are mods that need to be done to bring the car up to scratch. Also if you do get a V6 instead of a V8 make sure it is what you really want as it is quite expensive to up grade later unless you sell and bye another car completely.

Oh and welcome to the nut house

[kevchard]

Hello and welcome. We are building a DMS/Cobretti with a 2.9 V6 Granada Scorpio cosworth lump. I can see all the v8 points about originality,torque etc, but at the end of the day you are the one with the car. We had choice of whatever engine we wanted (within reason), but for some reason we opted for cossie. When the car is finished we may regret it, but engine is very tweakable (also extortionate for spares).
What state of tune is your v6 in eg standard or modded?
Good luck and i bet yours is done before ours.
Regards
Kevin & Helen

[NeilG]

Hi David
If you are considering the sumo perhaps you would be interested in mine, as I am planning on selling my car to finance my next cob and it is a similar spec to the one you mention (see my gallery - NeilG in the member galleries).
As for whether it is a good car to start with! I have owned mine for 14 years in one form or another and I have loved every minute of owning it. It will feel like selling one of the kids when it goes, but it has to be done - if you are interested drop me an email

Cheers

Neil